ASSOCIATION BRIEF

ASSOCIATION BRIEF

ASSOCIATION BRIEF

IBBA WELCOMES NEW STAFFERS

This summer, the IBBA welcomed two new staffers to the team. We are pleased to welcome Julie Broadus as a customer service representative on staff. Broadus, originally from San Antonio, now resides in Floresville with her husband, Scott, they have one daughter, Lauren.

Broadus’ husband began in the Brangus business in 1985 with the Leaning H Ranch. They have always had and continue to raise Brangus with a core group of donor females. “I believe the Brangus female remains to be the queen of the pasture and I am very excited to work directly with some of the breeds best cattlemen and to help promote the breed in the future,” she explains.

In addition, Brian Sadovsky has joined the IBBA team as controller. Sadovsky was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and went to college at Rice University in Houston. After graduation, he spent a few years in West Texas (Big Spring and Midland area) working in radio and television. He went back to school (UT-San Antonio) to get a master’s degree in accounting. Sadovsky has been an accountant since 2007, working as an external auditor before being hired by the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, where he spent approximately 10 years as an internal auditor and accounting manager. For the last two years, he has worked as the controller for Nardis Public Safety & Nardis Gun Club.

Outside of work, he enjoys singing barbershop music and is an avid fan of the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Cubs. He has two daughters (ages 13 and 23) and one grandson (10 months). Sadovsky is very excited for this new opportunity with IBBA in order to help the organization run more effectively and provide more informative reports in order to assist with strategic planning and financial management. Welcome both Julie and Brian!

PROMOTION COMMITTEE UPDATE

The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) Promotion Committee is charged with overall marketing and promotion direction of the Brangus association in order to increase market share of Brangus cattle. Joe Fuller serves as chairman with members Shiloh Hall, Wade Fisher, Lisa Neal, Bill Davis, Chris Sankey, Sarah Greene, Andrew Scamardo, and Kurt Trammell along with staff input from Dr. Darrell Wilkes, Lori Edwards, and Emily Lochner. The committee is active with energetic monthly virtual meetings.

The key project that the IBBA Long Range Committee has charged the promotion committee with working on is the “Target 75 Project.” The goal is to target 75 influential commercial and registered cattlemen, feedyard operators, marketers, university, and industry leaders to give their view of Brangus and how the IBBA should direct marketing efforts in the future. The first key step in the process is a breeder led market research project where the results will be shared with professional advertising agencies to formulate a message that creates more demand for Brangus. This does not happen overnight, and there may not be as much print media for Brangus in the meantime. We will have to craft the right message and then produce it, and amplify it through print, social media, trade shows, and video media in order to promote Brangus cost effectively with a limited budget.

In addition, the promotion committee is charged with looking at Frontline Beef Producer and making it a more cost-effective tool in the promotion of Brangus bulls. The committee voted to use the Brangus “bull buyer” list as key distribution point, add larger format card ads for the next issue, and study the best type of look and paper for the Frontline magazine.

IBBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

The IBBA board of directors met via conference call April 15, 2020. Dr. Wilkes, IBBA executive vice president, noted that the receivables and payables for DNA are caught up as of March. Mike Weathers, secretary/treasurer, opined that the March 2020 financials are the cleanest that he has seen during his time on the board, noting there are a few things still to be cleaned up.

Concern was expressed about DNA charges, as IBBA is fronting the cost of the test and members are paying after the test is ran. If members refuse to pay, IBBA has overhead charges with test management and also the outlay of cash to pay the lab for the test. A consensus emerged that, at minimum, members should be invoiced within seven days of placing a DNA test order, and that the results would not be provided or posted to Regstr until the invoice was paid.

Discussion was held on the rescheduling of the Brangus Summit, originally planned for Orlando, Florida in early June. The board tabled any decision on rescheduling pending some more certainty in the general economy, and achievement of significant milestones in Regstr when morale among members is improved.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL JUNIOR BRANGUS SHOW

The Southeast Brangus Breeders Association (SBBA) Junior Brangus Show will be held September 18-19, 2020 at the Suwannee County Fairground Complex in Live Oak, Florida. The ownership deadline for junior heifers is July 20, and the entry deadline is August 5. For more information contact Tom or Vicki Hayford at hayfords@wfeca.net.

ONLINE DNA ORDERING NOW AVAILABLE

Similar to how DNA orders in the previous registry portal were processed, online DNA ordering is now available in the Regstr system. Members can submit DNA orders online through Regstr rather than manually going through Macee

Prause to receive the order form. Members are encouraged to be on the lookout via Facebook and the weekly Brangus Bulletin for webinar information; Prause will be hosting interactive webinars twice weekly to demonstrate new online features of DNA ordering. ADVERTISE IN FALL FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

The 2020 Fall Frontline Beef Producer is a commercial publication circulated to 7,500 commercial and seedstock producers in Brangus country. To reserve your advertisement spot, contact Melanie Fuller at mfuller@gobrangus.com or 979.255.3343. The ad reservation deadline is Monday, August 10.

HILL COUNTRY SALE ACCEPTING CONSIGNMENTS

The Hill Country Brangus Breeders Association (HCBBA) is now accepting consignments for their 45th Annual Brangus Bull & Female Sale to be held Saturday, November 14. The sale will be held at the Producers Livestock Auction in San Angelo, Texas. To consign an animal, contact Hi Point Sales + Marketing, Garrett Thomas at garrett@hipointsalesandmarketing.com.

STOCK SHOW SUCCESS

The IBBA hosted the 2nd Annual Texas Invitational Show in Bryan, Texas on June 28. Many Brangus breeders came together to exhibit over 200 head of Brangus, Red Brangus, and Ultra cattle. The Brangus Futurity along with the National Junior Brangus Show was held in Beaumont, Texas where both junior and adult members exhibited over 300 head of cattle.

INTERNATIONAL BRANGUS FOUNDATION REVITALIZED

The International Brangus Breeders Foundation (IBBF) is back in business with an updated board of directors, officers, and a burning desire to advance the Brangus breed through research and education. Bill Davis was elected president, Brandon Belt vice president, and Darrell Wilkes is secretary/treasurer. Other members of the board include Allen Goode and Chris Heptinstall representing the IBBA board, Tracy Holbert and Bill Davis representing the IBBA Long Range Planning Committee, while Brandon Belt and Steve Densmore represent the general membership. The IBBF is a 501(c)(3) not for profit charged with protecting and administering gifts and donations to conduct research, investigations, and experiments in the breeding of Brangus cattle, to facilitate and promote the participation of Brangus cattle in exhibitions, and to engage in such other activities that generally or incidentally promote the breed.

IBBA FACTS in a flash in the past 90 days - 64 New Senior Members - 1,213 New DNA Submissions - 56 New Junior Members - 5,935 New Female Registrations - 7 New Associate Members - 4,647 New Bull Registrations

TEXAS BRANGUS SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

Two memorial scholarships were awarded at the recent Texas Junior Brangus Breeders Association (TJBBA) State Show in memory of two individuals with great importance to the Brangus breed. The Larry Joe Smith Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Gracie Kempken, who will be Pictured is Terry Reagan, presenter of the attending Oklahoma State scholarships, and Mary Jenna Lloyd. University, Smith’s alma mater. For the second year, a scholarship in honor of Gwen Bruns was awarded; Mary Jenna Lloyd, who is attending Texas A&M this fall, received the scholarship.

Also happening at the TJBBA show was a heifer raffle, heifer donated by Myron Saathoff, with proceeds going to the TJBBA. Charles Atkinson was the lucky winner of the Brangus heifer. The TBBA is looking for members who would like to participate on the TBBA Promotion/Education Committee. This committee will develop ways to increase awareness of Brangus in the state of Texas and also plan the program for the annual meeting in Salado on April 2-3, 2021. Please contact Jodi Jackson if you are interested, jodiatbentwood@sbcglobal.net.

EXECUTIVE CORNER

TARGET 75 –

AN EXAMPLE OF AN IBBA COMMITTEE AT WORK by Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D., IBBA executive vice president

The IBBA Long Term Plan calls for a market assessment Committee. Lori Edwards is the official staff support for the project called Target 75. It involves interviews with 75 key committee, I’m just an eavesdropper. The committee calls have players in the beef industry ranging from packers to university been well attended and Chairman Joe Fuller is disciplined about educators and every segment in between. The interviews are moving through the agenda and wrapping up each call in 60 intended to learn how the various sectors of the beef industry minutes. The calls are held monthly and each call ends with a perceive Brangus cattle. The findings from this will be used in summary of the actions to be taken by each member. I believe many ways. For example, the IBBA Promotion Committee can every active Brangus breeder would be proud of the way your use the information to craft advertising messages. The IBBA fellow breeders are dedicating their time, talent, and attention Breed Improvement Committee can use the information to hone to advancing the breed. They are making calls to some of the 75 in on key genetic research priorities. The IBBA Membership and key targets and asking for the unvarnished truth about how these Education Committee can use the findings to inform members people perceive Brangus. As one would expect, there are positives of the things each breeder can and negatives. It is always do to highlight the positive In the movie A Few Good Men, [Jack tempting to interrupt a person perceptions and overcome the Nicholson] blurts out, “You can’t who is offering a criticism in an negative perceptions of our breed. One of the most famous handle the truth.” In conducting a study like Target 75, we must be attempt to “set them straight.” Your fellow breeders are biting their tongues and listening to lines in a movie came from Jack prepared to handle the truth. the negatives and the positives. Nicholson in the movie A Few They’re taking notes on Good Men when he blurted out, “You can’t handle the truth.” prepared forms that ensures the core questions are asked of each In conducting a study like Target 75, we must be prepared to key player. handle the truth – and whether we agree with the perceptions Chairman Fuller wants to wrap this up in the next couple or not, we need to understand what they are and what we can months so that the findings can be distilled down and made do to turn them positive. Many people, particularly cow-calf available to the various committees mentioned in the first producers with good records, will praise the Brangus cow as the paragraph. You will hear much more about this as the results are best mama cow on earth. Other smart producers operating in the tallied and conclusions are drawn. same county don’t have a single Brangus bull on the place. Why? This is a perfect example of a committee of your peers That’s what we hope to learn via Target 75. We want to learn sinking their teeth into the IBBA Long Term Plan and executing what we need to do and what information we need to provide to a key strategy. Several committees still have room to accept convince the non-user of Brangus bulls to become a user. additional members. If you’re interested, please let us know and

Over the course of the past couple months, I have joined in we’ll find a way to put you to work on a committee. on the conference calls of the IBBA Promotion and Marketing

Kid-Friendly Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese FROM A BRANGUS KITCHEN

By Wendy Sneed, via Beef It’s What’s for Dinner 1 pound ground beef 1 ¾ cups water 1 cup dry elbow macaroni or bowtie noodles 6 oz. processed cheese spread, cut into cubes 8 to 10 dill pickle slices (optional)

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 3/4- inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. Stir in water and macaroni; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 9 to 11 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Stir in cheese cubes. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve beef mixture topped with pickle slices, if desired.